In this age of high capacity micro guns, why would anyone waste time with a single shot weapon? I have always been drawn to them, though I don’t often use them for anything serious. In this case, I’m talking about rifles and shotguns, but there are single shot pistols that can do similar things, so if that is what you are thinking about, it probably doesn’t change anything.
I’ve had somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 or more single shot weapons over the years. Most have moved on, but a few have stayed and a few more are contemplated. The ones that have moved on were mostly ineffective at what I wanted to accomplish. Not necessarily bad guns in any way, but not what I wanted. I generally view a single shot weapon as something that should be lighter and shorter than a repeater. That is often easy to accomplish with smaller actions, but those smaller actions can be fairly beefy if powerful cartridges are the order of the day. In addition, it turns out that most people don’t like recoil, so fairly heavy barrels are often found on them as well. These features can make the gun as heavy or heavier than a good bolt gun, so what’s the point of that?
Of course, some cartridges are not well suited to bolt guns, so if you want 45-70 or 20g, a single may be the way to go, but more on that later.
I often hear gunwriters and hunters talk about how a single shot weapon makes them extra careful in their shot choices and placement. “If you know you only have that one shot, you WILL make it count.” Or some such nonsense like that. If it takes a neutered magazine to force you to be an ethical hunter or a better marksman, please, stop hunting and learn some discipline. I don’t care if I have a 30 round AR in my hands, or a Keltec P32, my only goal is to hit effectively with every round. There are no “make-ups” or do overs.
Marksmanship and shooting, at its core, is a method of realizing your concentration and discipline. A good shot is a person who can overcome their natural tendency to rush or skip steps – to learn to control themself. The gun doesn’t matter, only the practice. This why there are relatively few really good shooters out there. Doing almost anything at a high level takes more effort and discipline than the average person has. Lots of people like to shoot, but few like to train.
At SHOT show this year, I was hanging out with a friend at Taurus, and I came across a break open single shot rifle, called the LWC. It is modern, black and polymer, no sights except a pic rail. This allows it to be inexpensively made, which is the drum that almost all gun companies march to these days. Other than the plastic furniture, plain finish and pic rail, the gun is a modern version of the old H&R Handi-Rifle. In this case, it seems better made than the older guns, even if it lacks the character that wood and color case hardening can offer.
The gun is short, slim, and balances perfectly when carried in one hand. It is about a half pound heavier than it should be, due to the thicker barrel that is threaded. It is about a pound and a half heavier than I would prefer for my own use, but guns are not generally made for me.
As soon as I got home, I picked up a 300BLK version. The caliber doesn’t matter much, except that it fits your mission. In this case, I wanted something I could hunt deer with, as well as shoot pistol-quiet ammo at closer range. I’ve been shooting my other 300’s a fair bit lately, so this dovetailed nicely. I mostly shoot it suppressed, and as you can see, it has a T2 on it. Not the best optic for long range precision, but for still hunting in the woods, it keeps the weight down, allows for easy carry in the hand, and it works just fine. I have a Federal 150g load for deer, but am experimenting with the famous Barnes 110 TAC TX as well.
The gun is extractor only. Some people seem to prefer that, and some companies use it as a marketing point, but I cannot see how. An ejector would make for much faster reloading, something I value even when choosing a single shot. For those that want to keep their brass more easily, it is very simple to catch the brass before it leaves the chamber completely. Shotgunners have been doing this for years.
Like lever guns, or bolt guns, a single shot requires more from the shooter than simply shooting a semi-auto does. Loading, cocking, shooting, unloading, reloading are all done by hand. I find that enjoyable, much like driving stick. It is nice to DO things, rather than just hang on for the ride. So if you haven’t tried the good old single shot, maybe you should. If you have tried it and it just isn’t for you, That’s fine too.
Read the full article here
